The Forgotten Memory
by evanlyncassandraaltman
Summary: Everyone has seemed forgotten the horror and the terror that had happened before Alyss died.
1. Chapter 1

Horace paced back and forth outside in the hall of the birthing room with a worried expression written all over his face, Cassandra his beloved wife had been in hard labor for one solid week now and was on her last part of childbearing. From what he had heard that day she was extremely weak and frail from the hard labor and there was a slim chance that she would serve the delivery. Alyss and Pauline had stayed by her side the whole week barely eating and sleeping.

"She's going to be fine," Will said trying to comfort his friend.

Horace stopped and tried to smile at Will but it was only in vain, then went back to pacing back in forth, he wanted to believe Will was right but he still could not shake the thought of what the midwife had told him that morning that his wife might not live to see another day.

One of the midwives walked out of the room that Cassandra was in, her face was pale and young with deep blue eyes and dark red hair tied up in a bun she had a worried expression written on her face, she walked over to Horace did a quick bow then hurriedly said,"Your wife Cassandra is dying-"

The other words were drowned out. Horace hurried past the young midwife and into the dark room his beloved wife was in. She laid there pale as a ghost not moving or uttering a single word. She slowly opened her eyes as she heard someone entered the room her dim dull eyes darted around the room entail her eyes rested on Horace standing there. He felt almost as if he got too close to her still fragile frame he would break her or somehow make her worse than she was. She raised her hand slightly motioning for him to come closer to her. He rushed to her side and crouched down next to her bed.

"Is...Is she not beautiful?" She mused in a low whisper gesturing weakly towards the baby in Pauline's arms cooing gently. Horace had not noticed the baby until Cassandra had mentioned her. Horace slowly stood up from his crouching position to look at the small infant in Lady Pauline's arms. The baby had blueish greenish eyes and short blond hair. He smiled at the little then turned around to go back to his wife. He had not expected a baby girl but right now the only thing he cared about his wife and if she had not mentioned the baby he would have just stayed there by her side.

"Yes, she is very beautiful just like her mother." Horace's voice cracked.

"She has your eyes," Cassandra said barely above a whisper.

Horace knew in his heart that she was nearing the end.

"Horace..."

"I am here," Horace said quickly his eyes filling with tears.

"Look...Look after her-" Cassandra's voice trailed off and her eyes ceased seeing.

"No!" Horace yelled as loud as he could then started sobbing on his wife's still form. His yell disturbed the young infant who was in Pauline's arms and started to wail on top of her lungs.


	2. Chapter 2

Horace woke up to hear Cassandra's piercing screaming in the middle of the night.

"Cassandra!" Horace yelled, jumping out of his bed to go and attained to his wife need. He rushed down the stairs and into the room she was staying in while she was giving birth but only to find it empty. The bed's blankets, however, were tussled up and the window was wide open. The window! Horace rushed over to the open window and peered out into the dark moonless night. Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, the steady beat of a horse gallop. Horace rushed out into the castle yard. He knew that the guards at the gate would stop whoever had snuck in, he wanted to have a little chat with them and also see what they were doing or if his poor wife was with them. He reached the gate only to find it open and both the guards were laying on the ground ceasing breathing and seeing which the would never do again.

"Guards!" Horace bellowed.

Over two dozen guards came to his call.

"What is the meaning of this!" Horace shouted pointing to the dead bodies of the guards on the ground. Nobody answered.

"Tell me what happened here! And why you did not notice that there was a fight!" Horace roared with anger.

"Sir we don't know." One of the guards said peevishly.

"Whoever said that come here," Horace said trying hard to hid his anger.

"Sir?" The man asked as he stepped forward with careless look upon his face. Horace with one swift movement grabbed his own sworded and held it up to the man's throat.

"Is that a manner you talk to your future king!?"

"No sir." The man rudely yet also very calmly with a dignified look on his face.

"Now do you know what happened down here!"

"Yes, sir." The man said giving him a wicked grin and gave a small hysterically laugh, "yes I do!" He shouted the last words as pulling out his own sword and did a sideways cut at Horace. Caught by surprise Horace nearly dropped his sword giving the man enough time to cut his arm and graze his throat in an unsuccessful try to kill him. Three guards moved at once to protect their future king. In an instance, the man was no more. Horace stood there gazing at the man's dead cut up body on the ground.

"You fools I need to know what happened to my wife!" Horace spat angrily at them.

"S-sir your wife died today." One of the guards said nervously.

"She is alive! I know she is!"

"Sir-"

"Don't you sir me! I know my wife is alive! I heard her!"

"Yes, sir." The man said meekly.

Horace stormed away only once looking back and giving a disgust glance at the man lying on the ground with his own sword by his side.

He knew his wife had died that day but he would not accept it he had heard her. Had he not? His beloved wife Cassandra one of the only joy in his life. He would have wept their and now for his wife if Will had not just come out.

"I heard noises down here what is going on?" There was concern written

in Will's voice.

"Nothing," Horace growled and walked away angrily into the castle. Will watch in astonishment as his friend stormed away into the castle. Horace had never acted like this before, Will knew it was because of Cassandra but he could not help but be surprised at how fast Horace changed.

As Horace walked down the hall he heard the newborn baby crying in the nursery he gritted his teeth it was the baby's fault that his beloved wife Cassandra was not here with him. He walked angrily into the room the baby was in.

"What's your problem?" Horace muttered angrily at the baby who now seeing Horace gave a smiled and cooed gently and moving her arms in an awkward try to reach up to him. Horace sat down and picked up the baby she gave a weird happy gurgle noise and smiled at him.

"How can you be so happy when my wife is dead?" Horace asked, this time, his voice was less harsh. He knew in his heart it was not the baby's fault it was the hard labor that Cassandra went through for a whole week.

"How?" He asked again he could not stop the tears that rolled down his face he loved Cassandra with his whole heart and he would die for her anytime. The baby kept cooed gently in her father's arms.

The door to the nursery opened and Lady Pauline walked in. She stopped to see Horace with the baby weeping. Horace stopped looked at Pauline who was like an aunt or a mother to him.

"I am sorry Horace I will go."

"No! No your fine I could use some help." Horace hurriedly said.

Pauline walked swiftly over to him and sat down in a chair next to him. The sat in silence for awhile.

"Pauline?" Horace asked softly.

"Yes, Horace."

"She is alive?" Horace said questioning he was confused he did not understand whether his wife was alive or not he knew he had heard his wife's cry for help or had he?

"Horace you and I know what we both saw."

"But I heard her," Horace said taking his eyes off of his daughter, "I am sure I heard her."

"I know."

"Did you hear her?"

Pauline hesitated before saying, "No Horace I did not hear her."

"But I heard her!" Horace protested. "She must be alive! She has to I can't live without her I can't!"

"Horace look at me."

When his eyes meet her's she said, "Horace did you hear her?" She was not being rude but she just wanted to point out it could have been somebody else or a dream.

"I heard her scream and when I went into her room her bed was messed up and the window was open."

"The might have moved her downstairs."

"The didn't I told them to leave her there until morning."

Pauline gave a quickly startled look at Horace.

"Why?"

"Just in case." His voice cracked as he said the last word.

Pauline nodded her head in understanding.

Horace asked again,"Do you think she is alive?"

"No."

"Not even with after I told you?"

"Someone probably missed heard and moved her downstairs."

"But what about the men outside?"

"What men?"

"There was a man on horses who escaped past two of the guards at the gate and killed them and another guard one who tried to kill me after he told me he knew what had happened to the guards at the gate."

"What happened?"

"Before he could answer he died," Horace said bitterly knowing that know he would not be able to know what had happened.

"Oh..." Pauline said softly knowing how frustrating it was not to know.

"Pauline, can you keep a secret?"

"Yes."

"I am going to go find her," Horace said determinedly.

Pauline nodded her head then asked, "Who is Will or Halt going with you?"

"No... I do not want them knowing the won't believe me." Horace said now turning his head back to his daughter.

"When are going?" Pauline asked softly.

"Now," Horace said firmly. He stood up and handed the baby girl to Pauline and walked out the door not even turning a backward glance.

In a little bit, Pauline heard Horace battle horse gallop off into the dark night.


	3. Chapter 3

She opened her eyes slowly and grounded, her head was throbbing and her body hurt all over.

"Hello there," She heard a cold unwelcoming voice greet her, "I see you're now awake I was beginning to wonder if I really almost killed you but I guess I didn't."

"Where am I." She asked groggily.

"Nowhere, nowhere at all." The same cold voice replied sarcastically.

She shuttered as she felt a cold metal touch her throat.

"Do you remember me?" He asked as he stepped into view.

"No." She replied weakly then wincing as she felt a sudden pain on her side.

"Will of corse you don't but your husband does." He said as he slid the sword very carefully of off her neck only making a small scratch.

"Horace?" She asked in a confused voice.

"Yes, yes Horace he knows me he ruined my life!" He spat.

"How?" She asked groggily still confused about where she was and what was happening.

"When I was in battle school he and two Rangers got us kicked out after the beat us."

"Us?"

"Yes us me, Jerome, and Bryn." He replied angrily.

"Who are you?"

"Alda," He spat his name out and gritted his teeth then quickly added, "Enough talking about the past let's get down to business you now belong to us and you will do whatever we or doctor tells you or wants you to do."

"Doctor?"

"Oh did I forget to tell you, you are now an experiment it's just a little payback towards Horace," He said smiling wickedly at her the added, "Will you probably want to get some rest before you start to get your treatment." And with that, he walked out the door.


End file.
